While the LPGA Tour is currently in full swing — and two majors arriving in the next six weeks — it’s never a bad time to reminisce, and look back at some of the most historic and memorable performances from past events. Even within the past decade, the LPGA has seen scintillating performances from youngsters, epic return-to-form performances from the best players in the game, and heart-wrenching and unexpected retirements. Here are five of the best individual performances from the past 10 years on the LPGA Tour.
1. Suzann Pettersen walk-off victory at the 2019 Solheim Cup
At 38 years of age, mother to a toddler, and having played in only three stroke-play events in the previous two years, Suzann Petterson may have appeared to be an unusual pick to lead the European Solheim Cup team.
Almost as if in a movie, the entire event rested on Pettersen’s shoulders: the score was 18-18, and Pettersen’s American opponent Marina Alex had barely missed her putt for birdie. Pettersen stepped up to her putt and absolutely sank it. However, the most shocking moment happened after the match-winning putt; it was when Pettersen announced she was retiring from golf.
“Now I know what it feels like to win as a mom,” she said. “I’m going to leave it like that.”
2. Lexi Thompson wins the Navistar LPGA Classic at 16
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With her win at the Navistar LPGA Classic in 2011, Lexi Thompson became the youngest champion ever on the LPGA Tour. However, this win wasn’t a surprise to many who had previously followed her achievements; at 15, she placed T-10 at the U.S Women’s Open. Since then, Thompson has become a staple in the women’s game, and while she is still chasing her second major victory, she has 11 Tour wins under her belt.
3. Stacy Lewis donates victory money to hurricane relief
Stacy Lewis’ win at the LPGA Cambia Portland Classic in 2017 was more than a victory to her; it was a long-awaited return to form, and an opportunity to give back to her community. At that point in 2017, the two-time LPGA major champion had been winless since 2014. However, more important to her, was what she could do with the $195,000 winners check. Lewis donated the entirety of her winnings to relief efforts for the devastation that Hurricane Harvey left in her home state of Texas.
4. Michelle Wie’s epic win in Singapore
Michelle Wie has been a phenom her entire career; at 10, she was the youngest person to qualify for a USGA amateur championship. Turning pro at just 16, her hype was astronomical. She won the U.S Women’s Open in 2014. Then, four years later, Wie was still searching for that next victory. It finally came, in 2018, at the Women’s World Championship in Singapore. Wie drilled an epic putt — a 35-footer for birdie from off the green on the 72nd hole — which cemented her victory. Wie calls it the best putt of her career.
5. Sophia Popov’s improbable 2020 Women’s Open victory
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While Sophia Popov’s victory at the 2020 Women’s Open is the most recent victory on our ranking, the list could not be complete without it. What Popov accomplished — win a major while ranked outside the top 300 — has only been done twice in this history of the sport. Popov, who primarily plays on the LPGA’s developmental tour, was one of only four golfers to finish the event under par.